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Not being a real fan of public transportation, when they started building the Skytrain in Bangkok and turned Sukhumvit into a dark and dank overcrowded alleyway (as opposed to the sunny overcrowded street it once was) I wasn’t a happy camper. I changed my mind once the system was up and running. It’s a great and cheap way to get around town, convenient to most areas touri normally go.
Now I tend to select a hotel by how close to a BTS station it is. The one I stay at most often is almost next door to the Saphan Taksin station, which was once the end of the line. Now the BTS crosses the Chao Phraya which I’m sure is a boon to daily commuters who live on the far side of the river. The Saphan Taksin BTS station is also where you catch the express boats plying the Chao Phraya, so it’s a great station to call home with multiple transpo options readily available depending on where you are headed for the day.
The powers that be have announced they are going to close Saphan Taksin while a second track is laid which is budgeted to cost 670 million baht. Currently a single track runs across the river causing a bottleneck at the station. If you’ve ever taken the BTS into Saphan Taksin and had the train come to a stop and go into hibernation mode just outside of the station, that is why: it’s waiting for the train coming from the opposite direction to clear the track so it can proceed.
While Saphan Taksin is closed, plans are to build a 700 meter Skywalk system from Saphan Taksin to Surasak Station, the next closest station, complete with moving sidewalks. Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra announced the plan last week saying, “We will ensure that commuters continue to enjoy convenience. With the Skywalk and moving walkways, it will only take them five minutes to get from the Saphan Taksin Station to Surasak Station.”
I guess that all depends on how you define convenient. Whether it is escalators or moving sidewalks the Thai government tends to only install a set moving in one direction. I hope they do better with the planned Skywalk system. But I’m not holding my breath.
When the construction and closure will begin is still up in the air. Approval needs to be obtained from various governmental agencies (so lots of cash will be exchanging hands) and there is currently a minor graft problem being worked out between the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and BTSC, the current operator of the Skytrain system, with Krungthep Thanakom, the legal investment arm of the city administration, involved in the dispute too. Uh, so even more cash will be exchanging hands.
I like walking around Bangkok and devote hours to doing just that. Tacking on a five minute hike to get to and from my hotel just to catch the BTS is a different story. So it looks like I’ll be soon looking for a new hotel to call home when I’m in the Big Mango. Maybe I’ll try the Kempsky. It’d be nice to run into Beachlover on my next visit to Bangkok.
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Alex said:
You could try a hotel on the wrong side of the river… lol
Seriously though, I don’t think Saphan Taksin station will close any time soon.
Bangkokbois said:
You’re probably right Alex. The article I read had lots of details about contracts and deals and sums owed to and by all and sundry – this could easily be nothing more than a public attempt at pushing someone’s buttons to free up a bit more of cash to be passed.
Hendrikbkk said:
And don’t forget the fact the Bangkok governor is from the Democratic Party so everything he does will be counterbalanced by the TRT or whatever they call themselves now.
If you see Beachlover don’t forget to get out of his photo frame as his pictures never have human beings.
That said, it is kind of boring at the sawatdee site, no bitchfights anymore, yawn.
Bangkokbois said:
Yup, it’s nice to know that politics plays out the same all over the world.
Maybe a few politicians need to start posting on SGT, ‘cuz that board is turning into a Pattaya-centric sleeper.
tim said:
no bitch fights … because all the decent bitches got kicked off … poor me 🙂
mind you i had to laugh at daboss putting in a zzzz face after joe had made his wine joke for the 20 post in a row … he wants bland hes got bland .. still hes not happy …
im sure i wont be back on there as a poster …. and if im banned from his board i’d guess im also banned from his bar … so thats more money he’s losing out on .. and for a guy who seems to be all about the baht … zzzzz
Bangkokbois said:
I didn’t realize you’d been banned from SGT.
My opinion of Neal just went up a notch.
🙂
Seriously though, WTF? Your posts were often snide but seldom snarky. And more interesting than the clown act who post regularly about nothing to do with Thailand.
I mean nice that beachball left, but that’s a whole lot of regular posters now that no longer will have anything to do with the board.
I did get a laugh a week or so ago when one of the ‘nice’ guys responded to a slightly snarky post saying that poster should leave the board – beachball was fond of telling others to leave too.
tim said:
i think neal was on heat one night after id made a post .. he was getting into a habit of deleting my posts then leaving ones there of people who where having a pop at me .. i emailed him asking why he had such double standards .. he had a hissy fit and told me not to mail him again .. so i said ban me .. so he did … haha … must admit it was getting rather boring as id mentioned on here before … now its totally pointless …. if 3 or 4 complete bores left now i think neal would be the only one posting … .. .. hes now on the lookout for a global supporters club .. seems to be getting a bit desperate for members now … altho as he never gets tired of telling people hes doubled the membership even tho most of the new members never post and have 8 legs …
Bangkokbois said:
Well that sounds like Neal, his hissy fits have driven several posters away. Too bad for the board that you were one of them. it is his board. And it is his decsion on what that board will be. I’m just wondering if he has a vision or is just stumbling along blindly.
tim said:
i think hes gone a bit of course … tho i thought that when he started to allow – how shall i put it – life taker awayers … to advertise …. i was not a great fan of smiles but i think he has neal summed up … still give it a while and i think he and the button will be the only ones posting on each others boards … what fun that will be … i cant wait !
Bangkokbois said:
Gee, and I miss Smiles. He could be cantakerous but was often spot on with his observations too. There just seems something wrong about running the guy who started the whole board off that doesn’t sit well with me.
tim said:
at the end of the day its a bit of fun .. or was … then someone comes along and tries to turn it into a money maker … ruins things … go back to the days of justme … his rows with scottish guy where at times vicious … he would have to kick himself off the board now if that sort of thing went on … now its all tea and cakes … how nice.
Bangkokbois said:
Yes I haved thought a few times he’d have to ban himslef under his hew rules. But then having to re-live that short change incident again . . . maybe today’s board ain’t that bad after all!
john said:
just out of interest, which hotel do you use near saphan taksin? i often stay at centre point, above robinsons.
Bangkokbois said:
That too is my hotel of choice in Bangkok, John. Anywhere else in town I stay I end up comparing it to Centre Point – and then end up going back to Centre Point on my next trip.